Prude
by DearEileen
Summary: Percy Weasley tries to confront his conflicting feelings for one Oliver Wood, Quidditch extraordinare, receiving a little help from a Hufflepuff along the way. Percy/Oliver. Rated T for some mature content.
1. Chapter 1

**Title****:** Prude

**Summary**: Percy Weasley tries confronting his conflicted feelings toward one Oliver Wood, receiving a little help from a cheeky Hufflepuff along the way.

**Pairing**: Oliver/Percy

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the characters or settings in the story below. But Piper, Cordelia, and the plot are all mine.

* * *

**"****We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." -Joesph Campbell**

* * *

On no particular day in the winter of 1993, Percy Weasley sits in the common room, quill and parchment in hand. He is attempting-and unsuccessfully as of yet to finish the foot long essay Professor Mcgonagall has assigned to him. He finds himself distracted by the most insignificant things: _My quill is looking a little dull and I must find another one, How long has my shoelace been untied, _When_ will Oliver get back from practice_?

The latter thought comes to him so suddenly, almost naturally. He ushers the question to the back of his mind. So what if he had started paying particular attention to Oliver Wood, the captain of the Quidditch team? He was his dorm-mate, after all. Was it so odd to worry about a lad whom he'd spent nearly seven years living with?

The portrait hole squeals on its ancient hinges, signaling the arrival to another fellow Gryfinndor. Angelina Johnson climbs through, shaking her head and motioning with her hands animately. The man of the hour -_You mean year_, Percy's mind butts in - stumbles in after her. He is sweating and his dark brows are creased, clearly just as livid as Angie.

Percy's parchment now lay forgotten on the scuffed table, as he tries to mask his blatant staring as Angelina and Oliver walk by. Their robes swish past him, Oliver's manly scent following after.

If one asked when Percy had started to fall for Oliver Wood, he would say near the end of his sixth year. It was an unforgettable moment he doubted he would ever forget.

* * *

_"__Mr. Weasley, it's time to leave now," says Madam Pince from her desk._

_Percy looks up from his books and parchment, glancing up at the clock. The large hand is just past nine o'clock. The library never closed until ten on a weeknight and eleven on the weekends. _

_"__But Madam Pince," he replies, "It's only ten past nine."_

_Madam Pince frowns, "I am aware of that. I meant it is time for you to leave, ."_

_"__Me? Leave? But finals are a month away!"_

_"__Indeed they are. Now leave," she says, a twinge of annoyance in her voice._

_"__Please, I have to-"_

_"__ !" she yells, "Return your books to their places and leave my library."_

_Percy has never defied an authoritative figure, and he will not start today. He files his books away in their respective places and gathers his things. Why was Madam Pince forcing him to leave?_

_With a defeated air about him, he exits the library. Before he leaves however, a voice from within the library calls to him._

_"__ , wait." It is Madam Pince. Something about the way she calls him sounds almost...sympathetic._

_He stops, hoping she'll let him stay, "Yes?"_

_"__Mr. Weasley, I am only doing this to help you. You need to relax, take a break from all your studies. Merlin knows you will get the best marks anyways."_

_This is the first time Madam Pince has ever displayed any emotion toward him. He is flattered by her compliment and decides to heed her advice. With a final parting nod, Percy leaves the library._

_What is there to do on a Friday night? He was just evicted from the library and he has no patrol duties tonight. It is times like these that Percy is forced to remember his lack of friends._

_His only friend was Oliver Wood, and they weren't even that close with one another. Oliver was of practically a different world from Percy. He was a Quidditch enthusiast, while Percy was a teacher's (he hated to say it) pet. Imagine the rubbish Ollie would get from his friends for hanging out with him._

_In truth, however, he had become a little obsessed with Oliver. He had even gone to a Quidditch game to see him play. He had known Oliver for five years. Why did he just now start to notice him? he thinks to himself as he walks past an odd looking statue. _

_Suddenly, an idea comes to him. He remembers about the Prefects' Bathroom, which, if he recalls correctly, is just behind the statue. Yes, a bath is just what he needs!_

_Percy looks to either side of him; he does not want anyone to see him actually relaxing (specifically his siblings). He gives Boris the Bewildered the password and silently tiptoes in. There is a tiny changing room, complete with towels and sponges. He strips down, carefully folding his uniform so it won't wrinkle._

_Upon entering the tub room, he is in awe. Everything is white marble, minus an elaborate painting of a blonde-haired mermaid. He wonders how such a huge bathroom could be hidden in Hogwarts without anyone finding it._

_Percy, being so wrapped up in his thoughts, fails to notice that the pool-sized tub is already occupied. Only the sound of her voice draws his attention to her._

_"__Cordelia, is that you? It won't be as much fun if I'm soggier than a prune!"_

_The color drains from his face as his eyes find the owner of the seductive voice. He is sure it is Piper Wellington, a seventh year Hufflepuff. Her head is tilted back, eyes closed, long black hair streaming about her in tendrils and _naked.

_Naked. _

_Naked as in her womanly attributes are on display for him to see. His mind is jumbled in shock as he tries to speak. His words mesh together, sounding like something equal to 'huh'. _

_The intruder in the bathroom is not Cordelia. Piper's eyes shoot open, her hands instinctively covering up whatever they can._ "_Bloody hell!" she cries out. _

_Percy wishes he could turn himself into an object or become invisible. Before he can embarrass himself any longer, he turns swiftly towards the changing room, effectively smacking his head into the door frame. He falls back onto the tile floor with a grunt._

_Piper is running out of the bathtub now, nearly slipping along the way. She crouches beside Percy; her wet hair drips on his chest._

_"__Merlin, are you alright?" she asks. _

_He feels his head for any injuries and notices the absence of his glasses, "I reckon I am. But my glasses…"_

_"__Er...it looks like they're broken. Oh! Wait just a moment."_

_Percy hears her feet slapping on the white tile and muttering 'repairo', then the sound of his glasses mending themselves. She stuffs them back into his hand. _

_"__Thanks," he says as he puts them back on his face._

_"__You're welcome. And, by the way, I'm-"_

_"__Piper Wellington. I know. I'm Percy Weasley." _

_"__I know, you've given me detention before."_

_"__I have?" _

_Piper seems to become conscious of her current state of undress, "Oh...um, sorry. I'll just get a towel."_

_She returns wrapped in a fluffy towel and sits awkwardly next to Percy, who is now fiddling with his own._

_"__You don't need to worry about me seeing you, trust me." she says as if she read his mind._

_Percy realizes instantly what she means and it comes as a shock. So that was why Cordelia was coming. He fiddles with the towel even more, "You mean...you...you're...you like…?"_

_"__Yes, I reckon I do. But you can't tell anyone, please. My parents would disown me if they were to find out," she says, her voice rising towards the end._

_If Piper was what she was, then how many others were the same? Obviously Cordelia (did she mean Cordelia van Galen, a sixth year Ravenclaw?), but who else? Were they accepted by the other students? He asks her these things, and she responds enthusiastically._

_As she was talking, Percy was struck with another thought: why wasn't he affected by the sight of her now? He had not seen many naked women before (well, basically just Ginny when she was a baby), but he was never very interested in seeing any. Was he...no. He couldn't be._

_"__You don't have to worry about me either then, I suppose," he blurts out before he can stop himself after she finishes talking._

_Piper raises an eyebrow at that, "What do you mean?"_

_Percy feels safe with Piper, like he could trust her with anything. He decides to tell her the truth, " Now that I'm over the first shock of seeing you...you know, I don't think I feel anything." _

_"__Alright, let's test it then," she says and takes off the towel, "Anything?"_

_"__Not really," he says as he scans he eyes her body hesitantly._

_He was a teenage boy with the consent to see a naked girl who, probably by others' standards, had a 'sexy' figure. Why didn't he feel any lust? Longing? _Anything?

_"__Nothing? I don't know whether to call you a prude or be insulted."_

_"__No! You...you look very lovely, Piper. I just think...maybe I'm like you."_

_Piper smiles, "Are you?"_

_"__I don't really know. But there is someone I think I might like."_

_"__Who?"_

_"__...Oliver Wood."_

_"__Wood?" she cries out, jumping to her feet, "You mean Gryfinndor's keeper? That sod…I'm sure he cheated on our last game…"_

_"__Yes, please don't tell anybody," Percy asks._

_"__I won't." she says as she walks back to the tub, "People like us have to stick together."_

_Percy smiles uncertainly at that, but also stands up._

_"__Now leave, Percy. Cordelia should be here any moment," Piper says before she dives into the pool._

* * *

At that time, he was sure of his feelings about Oliver. He would not act on them; nothing would ever come from it. Since his first year, he knew exactly how he wanted to life to span out.

Percy would graduate from Hogwarts as the top of his class (that one, he knew, was already in his reach), work for the Ministry, slowly making his way up the ranks through seniority. In the meantime, he would marry a lovely witch and have respectable three children, each two years apart. Then, as he aged, he would run for the Minister of Magic and spend the rest of his days in a modest home with his wife and a house elf.

Where would Oliver Wood fit into any of this?

This life Percy planned didn't have any room for Oliver. And, therefore, no one would ever know except for himself and Piper Wellington.

* * *

I may or may not have a second chapter planned out for this. But, alas, you must review to find out, darlings! And not to mention, you will warm my hearts with each word of commentary!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again! I have successfully completed a second chapter of 'Prude'. I feel so proud. Final exams have been such a drag. But it's Thanksgiving break, and I think I deserve time to sit in my room and just _relaxxxxxx. _Life requires so much effort sometimes.**

** I hope you guys like it! I did my best at keeping everyone in character and such. I tried to make it semi-fluffy, but who knows. Enjoy!**

* * *

I know,  
You have to go,  
But I want to keep you to myself,  
Like a dream,  
I can tell you'll never be all mine**.  
****-**Isabella of Castile, STRFCKR

* * *

"Merlin, Oliver! What don't you understand? Why can't you just give us all a_ break_-there's hardly enough time to relax! Have you ever even heard of the word?"

"Why yes, in fact, I have. But there is no time for 'relaxing'. The cup is too close now to slack off!"

"Sod the cup! Sod everything! There will be no cup if your players are bloody dead," Angelina yells.

Oliver sighs, "Angie..."

Angelina had cornered him in the locker after practice had ended and everyone had left. He had just gotten out of the shower when she bombarded him. He still couldn't fathom why she was so angry with him. It was already March and the year nearly at its end, along with Oliver's Hogwarts Quidditch career. The Cup meant more to him than anyone would understand.

"Oh no," Angelina replies, her eyes in slits,"don't 'Angie' me, Wood."

"What else do you want me to say, _Johnson_?! What? That I'll be just peachy with my team sitting around on their lazy arses?" he says harshly.

Angelina gives a snort of indignation, "Me, lazy? You haven't got a goddamned right to call me lazy, you git."

They have reached the Common Room. Oliver gives the Fat Lady the password and continues his clash with Angelina, "And you've no reason to call me a git. If it weren't for me, you'd be half the chaser you are now."

The Com"mon Room is not very filled at this time. It is nearly nine o'clock now and it seems as though everyone has already retreated to the dormitories. Only a handful of people are scattered across the room. A few unrecognizable younger students and Percy Weasley. Percy, Oliver notes, has been staring at him and Angelina quite oddly. As he looks towards him, Percy scrambles for his papers and busies himself.

"You arrogant prick!"

"Oh, stuff it! You know it's true." Oliver is livid now. He feels his blood boiling within him.

" I dunno what the bloody hell has happened to you Oliver, but I don't like it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" They are nearly to the stairs that lead to the dormitories.

"What happened to the sweet Oli I knew back when we were younger?" Angelina's tone has changed suddenly; there is something in her voice that is unrecognizable.

He is not sure why, but Angelina's word sting Oliver.

He finds himself looking back to the last few years at Hogwarts that seem so far away now. He remembers when Quidditch was just a fun passtime of his, when he had friends. Oliver had dreamed of growing up and falling in love, of being as famous as the English Quidditch players.

Things were different now. He supposed his priorities had gotten mixed along the way.

"I'm sorry, Angie. I _have_ been a prat."

Angelina smiles, flashing her brilliant white teeth, "As long as you admit it."

"Thanks."

"Look, I'm telling the team practice is off tomorrow. I doubt they'll question...and merlin knows you need some time off."

And with that, she begins to trudge up the old stone stairs towards the girls' dormitories.

_Bloody hell,_ Oliver thinks, _I need a walk._

* * *

"Excuse me, just what do you think you're doing in the Astronomy Tower? It seems a little late for class, no?" booms Percy's voice to a pair of fourth years.

The boy, with curly blonde hair, replies, "Just came for some extra studying."

As he says this, the girl beside him smacks him in the arm. She is blushing furiously, "Micah!"

Percy looks slyly at Micah, "Studying, you say? Well, you and your lovely partner here can study some more in detention tomorrow evening."

The two leave the Astronomy Tower with their heads low, the lad muttering '_prat_' under his breath. Percy beams with triumph; there is no better feeling than getting the chance to display his authority above other students. It almost - if not entirely makes up for the separation he has from his peers.

His loneliness leaves him susceptible to his wandering thoughts. He thinks of final exams, of his siblings, of his future, of love.

Piper had left at the end of last year, which was a bittersweet day for the pair. Since their first encounter, Percy had struck up an odd friendship with her. She was very blunt with him, and told him in colorful words what a '' he was whenever he had acted prissy with her. He had quickly learned to stop himself before any of his 'Percy the Prefect' side of him threatened to come up.

Spending time with Piper, he thought, was an enriching experience. She never did judge him or hold him to the standards everyone else seemed to. He felt that he was just a normal boy, with no expectations and worries. It was all very contradicting, since he was a stickler when it came to such matters.

That final month flew by and suddenly, it was the last day of the year. Piper had packed her trunks, ready to start her new life. When they had arrived at King's Cross, she had come to bid him a farewell. It was all so brief: a chaste kiss on the cheek, a too-cheesy-to-be-funny joke, and the promise of a correspondence through letters. Before Percy knew it, she was gone. Well, at least, from him (she had gone to have a last snog with Cordelia).

Now here he was, left alone to face his unrequited love for a boy he had known for nearly seven years. It was all so tragic; it sounded like something from that muggle...what was his name? William Rattlespeare?

_Muggles, they've got such weird names_, he thinks.

His mind delves into the mysteries of muggles when he hears the soft padding of feet. Percy frowns; Micah and his girlfriend must be looking for another spot to snog. Withdrawing his wand from his pocket, he walks towards the intruder.

"Didn't I tell you two to go back to your-"

Standing before him in the empty corridor is not the enamored couple he met earlier, it's Oliver Wood.

His Quidditch uniform is still on, just like earlier in the common room. He looks stressed. Was it because of Angelina?

Or worse, Percy realizes with horror, was it because Angelina broke up with him? Were they even in a romantic relationship?

"Percy," Oliver greets, inclining his head.

"Oliver, I-"

"Merlin, I hadn't realized how late it had gotten. What time is it?"

Percy blinks," It's nearly midnight."

Something, something is off in Oliver.

"I'll just be getting to bed now. Sorry, Perce."

Percy's inside nearly melt when Oliver calls him 'Perce'. His mouth rolls over the 'r' so perfectly, so _Scottish_. It's like music to his ears.

"It's alright. And don't worry-I won't give you a detention," he hears himself sputter out. He hopes he doesn't sound like too much of an idiot.

Oliver smiles, forcing a watery laugh. He begins to walk toward the Gryfinndor Tower. And suddenly, he isn't laughing anymore. He didn't make it very far. "Fuck it all," he says as he sinks to the ground.

_Oh, bloody hell. Were those tears?!_

* * *

**Well, here's a cliffhanger for you guys. As you can tell, I've decided to make this longer than a two-shot. I feel like I simply couldn't have fit their conversation into this chapter. Special thank you to all of my reviewers: Isa, TheWalnutQueen, and Living-like-a-mango-is-fun (the latter two being EPIC pen names c;). This is dedicated to you.**

**On a completely random note, I think I'm in love with David Tennant. He is AMAZING! And Scottish. I couldn't help but compare him to Oliver (since they're both Scots). And for all of you guys who don't know who David Tennant is, well, go watch Doctor Who!**

**Reviews make my day! **

**-a cinema of zombies**


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